The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they happen.
Mourners pay respects to Jimmy Carter as casket arrives at Presidential Center
Former US president Jimmy Carter’s flag-draped casket has arrived at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he will lie in repose until Tuesday ahead of a state funeral for the Nobel Prize laureate later in the week.
An extended public farewell for Carter, who died December 29 at age 100, began Saturday by tracing his long arc from the Depression-era South and family farming business to the pinnacle of American political power and decades as a global humanitarian.
Carter arrives for his last visit to the Atlanta-based Carter Presidential Center from the Georgia Capitol where Carter served as a state senator and reformist governor.
Carter’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren accompanied their patriarch earlier as his hearse began its journey through his hometown of Plains, which at about 700 residents is not much bigger than when Carter was born there October 1, 1924. The procession also stopped at the farm where the future president toiled alongside the Black sharecroppers who worked for his father, before continuing to Atlanta.
“It’s amazing what you can cram into a hundred years,” says grandson Jason Carter, who now chairs the center’s governing board.
Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson: "His legacy will live on not only because of the millions of people he touched across the globe," but because of the tireless work of the Carter Center employees.
Read more: https://t.co/r2F3o50bOF pic.twitter.com/4vHhRMoke1
— ABC News (@ABC) January 4, 2025
Pallbearers include members of the Secret Service that protected the Carters for almost a half-century and a military honor guard that included Navy servicemembers for the only US Naval Academy graduate to reach the Oval Office. A military band plays “Hail to the Chief” and the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” for the commander in chief who also was a devout Baptist.
Carter will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center, which houses his presidential library and The Carter Center, where he based his post-White House advocacy for public health, democracy and human rights, until 6 a.m. Tuesday, with the public able to pay respects around the clock.
His body will then be moved to the Capitol, where it will lie in repose until a Thursday funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, followed by a return to Plains. There, the former president will be buried next to his wife of 77 years near the home they built before his first state Senate campaign in 1962.
Scott Lyle, an engineer who grew up in Georgia but now lives in New York, was among the first mourners to pay his respects. Lyle said he joined Carter to build homes with Habitat for Humanity for the first time in LaGrange, Georgia, in 2003. Since then, he has traveled around the world to build houses with the group.
“I got to see, what some people don’t get to see, close. He was an amazing man, and he cared about others. He walked the walk,” says Scott Lyle, an engineer who volunteered with Habitat for Humanity alongside Carter and was among the first to pay his respects. “And I can’t think of anyone else that I would want to stand in line to pay my respects for.”
Reports claim American, UK forces attacking Houthis
Reports in Arabic media say American and British forces are carrying out strikes in Yemen.
According to the reports, three rounds of strikes are carried out in Saada, a city in Yemen’s mountainous northwest controlled by the Houthi rebel group.
There is no confirmation from the US or British militaries.
The reported strikes come hours after a ballistic missile was launched at Israel from Yemen, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said the projectile was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.
On Telegram, a spokesperson for the Houthis says the attacks will continue until fighting in Gaza ends, without taking direct responsibility for the missile launch.
Blinken discusses hostage negotiations with Egyptian foreign minister
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart earlier today to discuss the ongoing hostage negotiations that Cairo is helping mediate along with the US and Qatar between Israel and Hamas, the State Department says, without providing any additional information.
The US readout says Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also discussed efforts to advance a peaceful post-Assad transition in Syria.
Qatar has been hosting delegations from Israel and Hamas for talks over the weekend, in an apparent sign that Doha is taking the lead in this round of talks.
IDF confirms missile from Yemen shot down before reaching Israel
The IDF confirms that a ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses.
The military says the missile was shot down before reaching Israeli territory.
Sirens had sounded in the town of Talmei Elazar, close to Hadera, amid the incident.
The IDF says the sirens were activated there “according to protocol.”
Unlike previous Houthi attacks, sirens were not triggered across wide areas of the country, apparently indicating that fragments from the interception had not been projected to reach Israel.
Video shows apparent interception of Houthi missile
Footage posted to social media shows fragments falling following an apparent successful interception of a ballistic missile fired at Israel from Yemen.
Unlike previous Houthi attacks, sirens were not triggered across wide areas of the country, which likely indicates the interception debris in this case was not projected to hit Israel.
Sirens had only sounded in the town of Talmei Elazar, south of Haifa.
The IDF has not yet provided further details.
Footage posted to social media shows fragments falling following an apparent successful interception of a Houthi ballistic missile fired at Israel. pic.twitter.com/B9Znw3T2Sj
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 4, 2025
Explosions reported in central Israel amid apparent missile attack
Residents in several areas of central Israel report hearing a number of explosions.
The blasts, which are heard in a number of suburbs of Tel Aviv as well as further away, come after sirens sounded near Hadera amid an apparent ballistic missile attack from Yemen.
It is unclear if the explosions are from interception attempts.
There is no immediate comment from the military.
Video circulated on social media appears to show shrapnel streaking toward the ground.
ירי טיל בליסטי מתימן לעבר מרכז הארץ, התרעות צבע אדום נשמעו באזור חדרה.
הערבים מדווחים על פיצוץ עז שנשמע בעיר טול-כרם, לא ברור האם מדובר ביירוט. pic.twitter.com/ZCx5Pjel3z
— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) January 4, 2025
Sirens sound amid apparent Houthi missile attack
Sirens are sounding in the central town of Talmei Elazar, close to Hadera.
The siren comes amid an apparent ballistic missile launch at Israel from Yemen.
The IDF says it is investigating.
State Department confirms plan for $8 billion arms sale to Israel
The State Department confirms a report that it has informally notified Congress of an $8 billion arms sale to Israel.
The sale includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters alongside artillery shells, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel, confirming a report in the Axios news site.
“Some production and delivery of these munitions cases can be fulfilled through current US stock, while the majority will take upwards of a year to several years to deliver,” the source says.
US President Joe Biden “has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations,” the source continues.
“We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense,” they add.